HISTORY OF HORTTCULTURE IN MINNESOTA. 81 



His confidence in the success of the cultivation of the apple was not shaken 

 by these injuries, as last season was an unusual one. At the suggestion of 

 Mr. Secretary' Harkness, Mr. Jewell, observed further, that forest trees 

 receiA^ed the same injury from the early frost, that apple trees did. Tn this 

 suggestion the Society unanimously endorsed him. 



S. Bates, of Winona county, said that he. too, lost some fine trees out <if 

 his orchard and nursery last season, by the bark bursting, but noticed where 

 he packed the earth solid around the trees, they received no injury. He 

 expressed great hopes in the future in regard to the fruit prospects of Minne- 

 sota. He spoke highly of the Ben Davis apple and other varieties. 



Col. D. A. Robertson, Professor of Agriculture in the State University. In 

 reply to a call upon him for information in regard to the success and pros- 

 pects of apple-growing in the countrj* above Ramsey and Hennepin counties, 

 said that the apple question was settled in that region of the State ; that a 

 number of old varieties, including the Duchess of Oldenburg, Fameuse, Plum 

 Cider, Fall Stripe or Saxton, Haas, Sweet Pear and Tetofsky, have proved to 

 be adapted to the climate, requiring there only the like soils and culture that 

 are necessary to success in more southern latitudes. He also named a num- 

 ber of new seedlings of great merit, and that there were several hundreds of 

 new seedlings in the State, out of which a selection should be made and 

 named by the Society, and recommended for trial and propagation. He was 

 satisfied that a number of new and valuable varieties. Summer, Fall and Win- 

 ter, would thus be demonstrated and made known to the pomological world, 

 which would secure a high rank to Minnesota as an apple-producing State 

 — that in the originating of new varieties of merit, our progress had been 

 most satisfactory, and indeed, wonderful. 



After very thorough investigation into the origin of the hardiest and best 

 seedling apple trees of the State, he had ascertained that they were all from 

 the seed of standard varieties of apples of the most northern apple-growing 

 regions of this country — from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and North- 

 ern New York chiefly, which, he explained, was in accordance with the ascer- 

 tained results of scientific research into the causes of plant variation, which 

 proved that better new varieties could be produced from seed obtained from 

 distant regions of similar climates. For this purpose, he had procured on 

 behalf of the State University, seeds of the best apples of Russia, for dis- 

 tribution in this State, and production of new seedlings. Col. R. gave the 

 scientific explanation of the cause of the bark splitting off our apple trees — 

 not peculiar to Minnesota — which occurred near the culm of the trees, close 

 to the ground. The cause was the action of alternate extremes of tempera- 

 ture, freezing and thawing, or sudden changes in the Autumn, when freezing 

 weather suddenly followed A'-ery ,warm weather. The sap cells were then full, 

 and from sudden freezing and thawing the partitions between the sap and 

 the air cells were torn, disorganized. This breaking up of tissues produced 

 an effect analogous to the sudden thawing and freezing of the animal organi- 

 zation, causing mortification. Drainage from the surface and wrapping with 

 11 



